Electrical connector assemblies comprising a female-type connector and a male-type connector that mates with this female-type connector have been used in the past, for example, for the purpose of electrically connecting an automotive circuit board and electrical wiring. Here, a female-type connector generally comprises a female-type housing and a plurality of male-type contacts attached to this female-type housing and connected to a circuit board. Meanwhile, a male-type connector generally comprises a male-type housing received by the female-type housing and female-type contacts that are attached to this male-type housing and connected to electrical wires and that make contact with the male-type contacts.
In recent years, furthermore, there has been demand for a reduction in the height and width (pitch) of such electrical connector assemblies used for the purpose of electrically connecting an automotive circuit board and electrical wiring, so that a reduction in the height and width of female-type connectors and male-type connectors is required.
Here, for example, the female-type connector shown in Prior Art FIGS. 18 and 19 (see JP-A-10-154537) has been known as a female-type connector whose height can be lowered and which is therefore suitable for automotive use. Prior Art FIG. 18 is a front view of a conventional female-type connector. Prior Art FIG. 19 is a sectional view along line 19-19 in Prior Art FIG. 18.
In Prior Art FIGS. 18 and 19, the female-type connector 101 comprises a female-type housing 110, a plurality of male-type contacts 120 attached to the female-type housing 110, and a tine plate 130.
Here, the female-type housing 110 is formed in a rectangular solid shape extending in the direction of length (left-right direction in Prior Art FIG. 18) by molding an insulating resin. A plurality of screw attachment parts 112 and a plurality of standoffs 119 are provided on the undersurface of the female-type housing 110, so that the female-type housing 110 is mounted on a circuit board PCB via these screw attachment parts 112 and standoffs 119. Each of the screw attachment parts 112 is provided with a screw hole 113 into which an attachment screw 140 for the attachment of the female-type housing 110 to the surface of the circuit board PCB is screwed. Furthermore, a plurality of male-type connector receiving recessed parts 111a through 111e for receiving male-type connectors 150 that are inserted in the direction indicated by arrow A in Prior Art FIG. 19 are formed inside the female-type housing 110. The plurality of male-type connector receiving recessed parts 111a through 111e are arranged along the direction of length. A locking part 116 that locks with the locking arm (not shown in the figures) of the corresponding male-type connector 150 and maintains the state of mating with this male-type connector 150 is provided on the lower side of the upper wall 114 of each of the male-type connector receiving recessed parts 111a through 111e. Moreover, projecting ribs 117 that extend from the upper wall 114 toward the lower wall 115 and projecting ribs 118 that extend from the lower wall 115 toward the upper wall 114 are provided on the respective male-type connector receiving recessed parts 111a through 111e. These projecting ribs 117 and 118 have the functions of preventing deformation (preventing so-called twisting) of the male-type contacts 120 caused by the corner parts or the like of the male-type connectors 150, preventing the insertion (keying) of a similar but different type of male-type connector 150 accomplished by varying the position for each of the male-type connector receiving recessed parts 111a through 111e, and preventing the upside-down insertion of the male-type connectors 150.
In addition, each of the male-type contacts 120 comprises a fastening part 121 that is press-fitted to the female-type housing 110, a tab-form contact part 122 that extends from the fastening part 121 into the corresponding one of male-type connector receiving recessed parts 111a through 111e and that contacts a female-type contact (not shown in the figures) provided on the corresponding male-type connector 150, and a leg part 123 that extends in the outward direction (toward the left in Prior Art FIG. 19) from the fastening part 121 and extends toward the circuit board PCB after being bent at an intermediate point. The respective leg parts 123 are designed to be electrically connected to the circuit board PCB. Furthermore, each of the male-type contacts 120 is formed by stamping and forming a metal plate.
Moreover, the tine plate 130 is formed in a flat plate form and constructed so as to align the leg parts 123 of the respective male-type contacts 120 with through-holes PCB1 in the circuit board PCB.
In addition, the mating male-type connectors 150 are inserted into the respective male-type connector receiving recessed parts 111a through 111e of the female-type connector 101 in the direction indicated by arrow A in Prior Art FIG. 19, and the female-type contacts provided on the male-type connectors 150 contact the contact parts 122 of the male-type contacts 120, so that the electrical wires (not shown in the figures) connected to the female-type contacts and the circuit board PCB connected to the male-type contacts 120 are electrically connected to each other. In the state of mating between the male-type connectors 150 and female-type connector 101, the locking arms of the male-type connectors 150 are locked with the locking parts 116 of the female-type connector 101. In this mating state, furthermore, the tab-form contact parts 122 of the male-type contacts 120 of the female-type connector 101 are received by and make contact with the female-type contacts of the male-type connectors 150. Accordingly, the male-type connectors 150 are prevented from being pulled out of the female-type connector 101 by the locking force of the locking arms of the male-type connectors 150 and the locking parts 116 of the female-type connector 101 as well as the contact force of the female-type contacts of the male-type connectors 150 and the male-type contacts 120 of the female-type connector 101.
However, the following problems have been encountered in the female-type connector 101 shown in Prior Art FIGS. 18 and 19:
Specifically, in the female-type connector 101, the upper wall 114 and lower wall 115 of the female-type housing 110 are formed to be relatively thin to meet the requirement of a height reduction, and in the state of mating between the male-type connectors 150 and female-type connector 101, the male-type connectors 150 are prevented from being pulled out of the female-type connector 101 by the locking force between the locking arms of the male-type connectors 150 and the locking parts 116 of the female-type connector 101 and also by the contact force between the female-type contacts of the male-type connectors 150 and the male-type contacts 120 of the female-type connector 101.
However, in the mating state of the male-type connectors 150 and female-type connector 101, for example, when the rear side (right side in Prior Art FIG. 19) of any of the male-type connectors 150 is driven in the vertical direction (direction of arrow B in Prior Art FIG. 19), because the upper wall 114 and lower wall 115 of the female-type housing 110 are thin in the female-type connector 101, this upper wall 114 or lower wall 115 undergoes deformation, so that the driving of this male-type connector 150 cannot be restricted. Therefore, there is a danger that the female-type contacts of the male-type connector 150 and the male-type contacts 120 of the female-type connector 101 that contact each other will be deformed. Furthermore, when the rear side of any of the male-type connectors 150 is driven in the vertical direction, there is also a danger that the upper wall 114 or lower wall 115 will be destroyed. Because the female-type connector 101 is mounted on a circuit board PCB, the male-type connector 150 that mates with this female-type connector 101 tends to be driven in the upward direction. Here, “driving” refers to the displacement of the rear side of a male-type connector 150 in the vertical direction.
On the other hand, if the upper wall 114 and lower wall 115 of the female-type housing 110 are made thicker in the female-type connector 101 in order to restrict the driving of the male-type connectors 150, then this will work against the height reduction requirement.